Leg support for folding card tables



Nov. 7, 1933. E, c. TURNER LEG SUPPORT Foa FOLDING .CARD TABLES FiledDec. 14, 1931 d] L Snnentor f l Def/yf 67 75mm BB m@ www GttornegPatented Nov. 7, 1933 YUNITED STATES isaiasi Terre Application December14, 1931 Serial No. 530,945

7 Claims.

My invention relates to leg supports ior folding card tables, and theobjects of my invention are: First, to provide a device oi' this classwhich, although particularly adapted for folding tables, 5 may be usedto form supports for legs of other articles of furniture, such aschairs, benches or the like; 1

Second, to provide a device of this class which facilitates theconstruction of a particularly .losturdy table yet permits the legsthereof to be folded readily and quickly;

Third, to provide a device of this class which is particularly easy toposition accurately with respect to the table and be secured thereto,thus ref ducing the time and effort required in the construction of thetable;

Fourth, to provide a device of this class which braces the legs in alldirections;

Fifth, to provide a device of this class which Yincorporates a novelfolding brace means, and

Sixth, to provide on the Whole a novelly constructed leg support forfolding card table which is durable, efficient in its action, and whichwill not readily deteriorate or get out of order.

With these andother objects in view as will appear hereinafter, myinvention consists oi certain novel features oi construction,combination and arrangement of parts and portions as will be hereinafterdescribed in detail and particularly Aset forth in the appended claims,reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the characters ofreference thereon which form a part of this application, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view ci my device with fragmentarily andviewed from the underside thereof; Fig. 2 is an elevational view o1 oneof the frame brace members; Fig. 3 isa similar elevational view of aco-acting brace member; ,'Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectionalview through 4 4 of Fig. 1 with the table structure omitted; Fig. 5 is asimilar enlarged sectional View through 5-5 of Fig. 8; Fig. 6 is anotherfragmentary sectional view through 6-6 of Fig. S; VFig 7 is stillanother fragmentary sectional view through 7 7 of Fig. 8, and Fig. Sis areduced bottom view of my device with the leg in its folded position.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts and portionsthroughout the several views of the drawing.

Corner plate l, screws 2, hingepin 3, leg bracket 4, screws or bolts 5,brace member 6, pivot pin 7, sliding pin 8, locking plate 9, and spring10, constitute the principal parts and portions of my novel leg'supportfor folding card tables.

The table T for which my device is particularly adapted is provided witha depending marginal rim Tl. Four of the leg supports are used to each60 table, one in each corner. Each leg support inadjacent parts andportions of the table shown.

cludes a corner plate l having a ilat substantially triangular portionla adapted to fit against the under side oi theV table top, anddepending marginal walls` lb along two right-angularly disposedy sidesofthe dat portion la. The walls lb iit against the marginal portions Tlof the tableand when secured thereto by means of screws 2 hold thecorner plate l in properk relation with the table. f The flat portion oithe corner plate l is provided with a pair of downwardly extruded loopportions lc which are arranged in axial alinernent with each other andin parallel spaced apart rela-Q tion with one oi the depending walls lb.One of the loop portions lc is located contiguous to the' remaining walllb. This wall is provided with a recess ld abutting said loop portion. Ahingepin 3 is supported by the loops le and one endfther'eof extendsinto the recess 1d. p

The hingepin 3 journals the loop portion la of a leg bracket 4. Said legbracket i is substantially triangular with its extended apex portionadjacent the right-angular corner'oi the corner plate l. This portion ofthe le@ bracket e is bent to form a rectangular loop or socket ib whichis adapted to receive a leg L. The socket'flb is disposed on the sidelof the bracket towards the wall lb which is parallel with the axis oisaid bracket.

when in the folded position shown in Fig. 8. The loop or socket 4b isnot'closed but the margin or" the bracket which completes the loop forms,a flange Llc in spaced relation with the main portion of the bracket.Screws `B'extend through the main portion of the bracket and said flangellc so that the loop or socket may be contracted, thereby rinly holdingthe leg L. The leg bracket 4 braces the leg in the direction of theaxisof the pin 3.

The leg is br ced transversely to the axis of the hingepin 3 by means ofa collapsiblebrace structure. This structure includes a brace member 6,the one end of which is pivotally mounted upon a pivot pin 7 whichextends from the wall por# tion lb disposed at right angles to thehingepin 3. The pivot pin 7 is supported from a boss portion le which isextruded from said wall lb. The brace member 6 is provided with alongitudinally extending slot 6a therein which is disposed in slightlydownwardly offset relation with its longitudinal axis, as viewed in Fig.l. The extended portion of the slot 5a is turned upwardly, as indicatedby 6b, forming a catchportion.v The end of the slot 6a adjacent thepivoted portion of the brace member is enlarged slightly so' as toreceive the head of a sliding pin 8. The sliding pin 8 is adaptedtoshift along the slot 6a and t in the cat-ch portion 6b. Said pin issupported from an extruded boss portion 4d extend- This arrangementenables, the leg L l to lay adjacent the under side: ci the table top uing from a wall of the socket 4b of the leg bracket 4, as shown best inFig. 6.

Intermediate its ends the brace memberA 6 is U-shape, as indicated by6c. Pvoted on the same axis as the brace member 6 is a locking plate 9which is adapted to fit between the walls of the U-shaped portion 6C ofthe brace member and is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 9ccorresponding to the slot 6c; said slot 9a being adapted to receive thesliding pin 8. Adjacent the pivoted end of the locking plate, saidlocking plate is provided with a hook portion 9b which is adapted toretain one end portion of a spring 1G which is wound around the bossportion 1d and the other end thereof inserted into the U-shaped portion6c of the brace member so as to engage the cross portions thereof. Aspring so positioned tends to spread the extended ends of the bracemember and locking plate outwardly from each other. This tendency causesthe pin 8 to assume automatically an interlocked position in the catchportion 6b when the leg is shifted to its upright position shown in Fig.l. Upward pressure upon the brace member: 6 against the action of thespring 10 releases the pin 8 so that it may slide along the slot 6a,thereby enabling the leg to move to its folded position, shown in Fig.8. AIn this position the brace structure is disposed along the side ofthe leg between said leg and the wall 1b.

The side of the corner plate opposite from the walls 1b is provided witha downwardly oiiset projection 1f which is adapted to be secured to oneend of a brace member B disposed adjacent the table top T. A

Once the table top T and marginal rim Tl is constructed it is anextremely simple matter to position the assembled leg supports in thefour corners of the table. No measurement or adjustment is needed; theVcorner plates form their own templates.

With reference to the dotted line view of the brace member or lockingplate 9 shown in Fig. 2, it will'be noted that the sliding pin 8 bearsagainst the extended end of the slot 9a so that the locking plate 9carries the tensional strains. The brace member 6 carries thecompression strains by reason of the inward wall of the catch portion ornotch 6b. This wall tapers outwardly slight ly from a true arc so thatas the slot 9c and notch 6b wears the pin moves deeper, that is, towardsthe extremity of said notch 6b.

Though I have shown and described a par# ticular construction,combination and arrangement oi parts and portions, I do not wish to belimited to this particular construction, combination and arrangement,but desire to include in the scope of my invention the construction,combination and arrangement substantially as set forth in the appendedclaims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a furniture leg supporting unit, a cornerY plate includinga flatportion with a pair of rightangularly disposed marginal portions,depending walls extending along said marginal portions, and an offsetbrace receiving meansy disposed along the remaining side of said cornerplate, a bracket hinged to said corner plate, a leg receiving meansdisposed at one extremity of said bracket, the remaining portion of saidbracket forming a brace therefor, and a collapsible brace extending fromsaid plate to said leg receiving means in angular relation with thehinged axis of said bracket.

2. In a furniture leg supporting unit, a substantially triangular cornerplate including a iiat portion, depending marginal walls along two sidesof said plate and an oiset brace receiving means disposed at the thirdside of said flat portion, a furniture leg receiving bracket hinged tosaid corner plate, and a collapsible brace means arranged to secure saidbracket in its extended position.

3. In a furniture leg supporting unit, a corner plate, hinge elementsformed integrally therewith, a bracket including hinge means arranged tocoact with said .hinge elements, a furniture leg receiving socketdisposed along one margin of said bracket, and means associated withsaid socket` for clamping a furniture leg therein, the remainder oi saidbracket forming a brace for said socket, and a collapsible brace meansarranged to secure said bracket in its extended po.- sition.

4. In a device of the class described, a hinged furniture leg, and acollapsible brace structure therefor including, a pair of brace elementspivotally supported about a common axis, and yieldable means tending tospread the extended ends of said brace elements, said ybrace elementsprovided with longitudinaliy extending slots, and a means on saidfurniture leg slidable in said slots.

5. In a device of the class described, a hinged furniture leg, arotatable brace element provided with a longitudinally disposed slottherein, including a catch notch at one extremity, means on said legslidable in said slot, and yieldable means associated with the pivotedend of said brace element and extending therealong tending to force saidslidable means into said catch notch.

6. In a furniture leg supporting unit, a furniture leg receiving socket,a bracing iin forming an extension of a side of said socket, a hingeelement disposed along a margin of said fin, a corner plate, hinge meansassociated therewith arranged to coact with said hinge element, acollapsible brace structure disposed in angular relation to said hingemeans including a pair of brace elements pivotally supported from saidcorner plate about a common axis, and yieldable means tending to spreadthe extended ends of said brace elements, said brace elements providedwith longitudinally extending slots, and a pin associated with saidsocket slidable in said slots.

7. In a furniture leg supporting unit, a furniture leg receiving socket,a bracing iin forming an extension of a side of saidl socket, a hingeelement disposed along a margin of said nn, a corner plate, hinge meansassociated therewith arranged to coact with said hinge element, a bracemember pivotally connected with said corner plate and extending inangular disposed relation to said hinge means, a longitudinallyextending guide means formed by said brace member including a catchportion at the extremityof said brace member, a pin on said socketshiftable along said guide means, and yieldable means associated withsaid guide means tending to force said pin in said catch portion. l k

EUGENE C. TURNER.

